1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus, a printing control method and a storage medium storing a program capable of being read by a computer, in which printing processing of a printing unit is controlled by analyzing printing information received from a data processing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a printing system to which a printing control apparatus of this kind can be applied, when an error is generated during processing of received data, intervention of an operator is awaited by displaying an error state on a display unit of the printing apparatus, or printing processing is continued by automatically skipping the error by fault continuation means determined at each of processing steps, comprising input, development and output steps, when a preassigned time period has elapsed after the error state.
Since the conventional printing control apparatus is configured in the above-described manner, printing cannot be performed until an operator comes while displaying the error state. Accordingly, for example, when a printing apparatus is shared, continuously transmitted data cannot be processed, resulting in large delay in printing.
Even if error skip is automatically performed, normal printing is not guranteed because the basic cause of the error in printing data is not removed. Accordingly, for example, a disturbed image output is obtained in the case of an error in development, output using a sheet of an erroneous size may be obtained in the case of an error of no sheets, or output of blurred printing is obtained in the case of consumption of toner.
In the conventional printing apparatus, for example, when processing cannot be continued because, for example, there is no sheet to be fed, a normal printing result cannot be guaranteed due to an insufficient memory capacity, or an assigned font is not mounted, the apparatus shifts to an error state, where, for example, the operator's instruction of continuation/interruption of printing, or the operator's operation of setting sheets is awaited.
In such cases, even if a succeeding job is present and can be processed with no problem, the printing apparatus interrupts processing. Accordingly, all of succeeding jobs are made in a waiting state. Hence, particularly when the printing apparatus is used on a network by a plurality of users, it is very inconvenient to use the apparatus.
For example, in a printer where only A4-size sheets are set, if a job J1 requiring A3-size sheets and a job J2 requiring A4-size sheets are spooled and processed in this sequence, an error requesting A3-size sheets to the operator is generated because the job J1 cannot be processed, and the process is interrupted.
In this case, although the spooled job J2 can be processed with no problem, the processing of the job J2 is held until the error due to the job J1 is released.